Star Trek began as a 1960s television series that imagined a future of interstellar travel and exploration of progressive values. While the original series lasted only 3 seasons, its impact continues to be felt today, and it stories and characters have spawned some of the most devoted, passionate fans that have ever existed (“Trekkies“). There have been many spin-off shows, including an animated series with the original characters and new casts in The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and more. There have also been 13 feature films made in the Star Trek franchise (14 if you count the 1999 parody Galaxy Quest). Alexander Courage’s theme music from the original show is almost universally recognized. Composer Michael Giacchino used this theme when composing new music for the 2009 reboot of the movie franchise. The Symphonic Suite uses chunks of Giacchino’s original film score, including the bit that highlights Courage’s original theme.
Here is the Columbia Summer Winds performing the Symphonic Suite in Central Park in 2010:
Here are some clips from the actual movie soundtrack. This one begins with “Enterprising Young Men”, which forms the beginning of this arrangement.
Here is the original theme music for the series:
Other interesting Star Trek links:
Star Trek Online: an immersive online game.
Feel free to post more links in the comments!